By Jonathan Schanzer
Submitted by correspondent Tom Ifrach
Since Turkey's IHH has recently announced that the organisation is planning another flotilla to Israel for this summer, here are a few facts that must be pointed out. The following is an article, which explains in detail who funds this terrorist organisation. - Michelle
The convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip was organized by a group belonging to an officially designated terrorist organisation.
The Turkish organizers of the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla that was boarded this morning by Israeli commandos knew well in advance that their vessels would never reach Israeli waters. That's because the organizers belong to a nonprofit that was banned by the Israeli government in July 2008 for its ties to terrorism finance.
The Turkish IHH (Islan Haklary Ve Hurriyetleri Vakfi in Turkish) was founded in 1992, and reportedly popped up on the CIA's radar in 1996 for its radical Islamist leanings. Like many other Islamist charities, the IHH has a record of providing relief to areas where disaster has struck in the Muslim world.
However, the organization is not a force for good. The Turkish nonprofit belongs to a Saudi-based umbrella organization known to finance terrorism called the Union of Good (Ittilaf al-Kheir in Arabic). Notably, the Union is chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who is known best for his religious ruling that encourages suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. According to one report, Qardawi personally transferred millions of dollars to the Union in an effort to provide financial support to Hamas.
In 2008, the Israelis banned IHH, along with 35 other Islamist charities worldwide, for its ties to the Union of Good. This was a follow-on designation; Israelis first blocked the Union of Good from operating in the West Bank and Gaza in 2002.
Interestingly, the Union of Good may not only be tied to Hamas. Included in the Israeli list of 36 designees was the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). In 2006, both the U.S. government and the United Nations designated the IIRO branch offices in Indonesia and the Philippines for financing al Qaeda. French magistrate Jean-Louis Brougiere also testified that IHH had an "important role" in Ahmed Ressam's failed "millennium plot" to bomb the Los Angeles airport in late 1999.
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Turkey Marks Flotilla Date, as Another is Planned
Source: Arutz Sheva
By David Lev
The rally comes days after a Turkish court handed down indictments against former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, and other senior officers. The indictment says that Ashkenazi, as head of the IDF, was responsible for the deaths of the Marmara group, who were killed by IDF soldiers as the latter attempted to defend themselves in a “lynch action” by the Turkish group. If convicted, Ashkenazi and the five other officers could be sentenced to a collective punishment of as many as 18,000 years in prison.
In honor of the event, a Turkish news agency on Thursday released formerly unseen footage of the events on the Marmara. The footage shows injured and dead passengers on the ship in the aftermath of the attempted lynch against IDF soldiers. After the incident in 2010, Israel released footage of the attack itself, in which the radicals on the Marmara are clearly seen trying to kill IDF soldiers.
Meanwhile, radical groups are busy organizing another flotilla aimed at breaking Israel's sea blockage of Gaza. Among those involved are Israelis who belong to radical leftist groups. Dror Feiler, a former Israeli who participated in the 2010 flotilla, told Channel Two that “as long as the illegal blockade that punishes Gaza residents collectively remains in place, we will continue to try and break it.”
He added that the purpose of the flotilla was not to cause riots and prompt Israeli soldiers to use force in order to portray those on flotilla ships as victims. “The most important thing for us is to explain to the world that the blockade of Gaza does not help anyone, including Israel. There is nothing in removing the blockade that would endanger Israel. All we want is for Gaza residents to be able to trade freely,” he said.
A UN sponsored committee has determined that Israel's blockade of Gaza is legal.
